Chapter 20: The Day of Departure

“I have brought this proposal to the Council of Elders multiple times!”

The moment Rhein entered the Throne Room, she discarded the jovial mask she had worn for others, replacing it with the dignified demeanor of the Saint who held the authority of the Nicolae family’s inheritance.

This successor Saint, as is necessary for any clever actor, had repeatedly practiced the changes in her facial expressions for today’s meeting in front of a mirror, which was of course in compliance with the requests of Galena and Li Ruoyi.

No amount of practice can make a feigned expression appear entirely genuine, but this Saint, who rarely participated in such meetings, now had her brow tightly furrowed and her delicate features set in a somber cast.

The contrast with her usual self revealed that this was a considerable effort for her.

“We cannot delay any longer; Fafnir must be slain!”

Her words, for once, held an undeniable edge.

Not only the attending elders but even Amber, who usually made things difficult for her, did not dare to speak.

Perhaps it was because Li Ruoyi and Galena stood behind her, but the girl’s voice sounded more confident than ever before.

“I have already said, Your Highness Rhein, that we cannot waste the precious lives of magicians for the sake of those wretched commoners!”

An elder seated on the left waved his hand at Rhein and spoke with a snide tone.

“If the skin is gone, what can the fur adhere to? One day, it will enter the city.”

Rhein waved her fingertips, and the surface of the water enclosed by the four marble pillars that Li Ruoyi had seen before rippled with magical power.

It clearly showed that the Evil Dragon’s breath from the previous night had directly melted a one-kilometer stretch of the outer city wall.

The land in its path had been incinerated into scorched earth, and the excessive curse left the ravaged land barren.

“Will there be no casualties then?”

“Though I hate to admit it, that is indeed the case.”

Amber spread her hands helplessly, and Zigris stepped out from the shadows to stand behind her.

“If you cannot see as far as a decorative vase like the Saint Rhein, then perhaps you shouldn’t be an elder.”

Although Amber was greatly vexed that Zigris had been defeated by Li Ruoyi, she still recognized the stark reality of the situation and, out of rationality, agreed with Rhein’s assessment.

Hearing her sister’s agreement, Rhein gave a faint smile, for she had always known that although her sister was competitive and extreme in her methods, she still cared for her deep down.

“Amber, you!”

Clearly, being criticized by two juniors made the elder feel a loss of face, and he could not suppress the anger rushing to his head.

The old man stood up.

Just as he was about to speak, he felt three vicious glares upon him.

Knowing that being obstinate would do him no good, the elder simply chose to storm out, slamming the door behind him.

“Ah~ ha~, did you wake me up just for this?”

Dracula yawned lazily; he sat alone on the throne.

Because it was dusk, the throne was backlit, and Li Ruoyi could not see his face, nor could he fathom what this old fox was plotting in his heart.

“Of course not, Old Ancestor. I have a grander plan.”

Rhein tapped her staff gently, and a yellowed map appeared on the surface of the water.

It was the very map preserved in the Völsunga saga—the legend that served as the prototype for the later heroic epic The Song of the Nibelungs and the opera The Ring of the Nibelung.

“Continue, Rhein.”

Dracula was clearly interested in the map; his left hand, emerging from the shadows, fiddled with a skull on the throne.

“I will tell all of you here my thoughts. I will tell you everything I know.”

Rhein smiled faintly and added, “I must first declare that this is currently the highest secret of the Nicolae family.”

Rhein recounted the secret of the Heart of the Human King and the plan to deal with the Evil Dragon in detail.

The elders present listened to her narration while gazing at her kind and frank face.

This girl—practically a child—seemed so pure and simple that her words were naturally moving.

But they were too lacking in realism and foresight, especially the suggestion to proactively attack Nibelungen.

“Your Excellency Rhein, it is impolite to interrupt you, but I must raise a point.”

An old man stood up.

“Considering the defense of Berlin Acropolis, the number of magicians, and the cost of a long march, these things may require long-term planning.”

“This…”

The girl clearly hesitated as well.

Although she was the Saint of the Nicolae family, her authority had been completely sidelined.

She had no correct understanding of the family’s development and strength over the past ten years.

“Think before you speak!”

Amber tapped impatiently on the table.

“If we’re talking about money, that is probably the one thing the Nicolae family lacks least. The magical resources we hold are enough to make the Temple covet them.”

“And as for magicians, we have gathered survivors from all over Western Europe here. If not for the lockdown caused by your dirty factional struggles—”

Amber’s words became increasingly aggressive.

“If not for you transferring a large number of personnel away from Berlin, would the main family’s strength be so weak?”

“You can’t even get to the bottom of the murders that have occurred in the city this week!”

Amber’s brow grew darker and darker.

By the time she finished, her hands were trembling with agitation, and her eyes were blazing.

This display even surprised Li Ruoyi; she was truly the ‘Violent Queen’ of the mystic world.

The old man who had stood up listened to Amber’s tirade.

He silently sat back down and buried his head in his hands, remaining dejected for a moment.

“As expected of my sister!”

Facing the sister who had flown into a rage to help her, Rhein smiled sweetly.

“Cut the act, Rhein. The one giving orders here is you, not me!”

Amber suppressed her anger and sat back down.

“You are the Saint; you must understand the family that belongs to you!”

“Yes, sister!”

Rhein once again felt the care of this sister who was sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.

From a young age, although her sister had envied her status as the Saint, she had also watched over her at all times.

She was simply bad at expressing it.

“Ho ho, so you all have your own plans right under my nose.”

Dracula heard Amber’s accusations and laughed coldly.

“I truly have two fine descendants. I think Rhein’s direct approach to solving the problem is excellent; I approve of the dragon-slaying plan.”

“Old Ancestor, as a descendant of Siegfried, it is Zigris’s inescapable duty to slay Fafnir. Please allow me to accompany Rhein to explore Nibelungen,” Amber stood up excitedly.

The Old Ancestor’s approval was basically equivalent to a full pass from the council.

Since ancient times, dragon slayers have been celebrated in Europe.

If she could bring back Fafnir’s head, it would surely make up for the face lost at the Twin Kings Conference.

“Zigris may go, but you must stay.”

The sun had completely set, and night had fallen.

Dracula slowly left the throne and walked to the front of the dais, a strange and uniquely charming smile on his face.

“But!”

“No ‘buts’!” Dracula stomped his foot impatiently.

“You know I dislike repeating myself.”

“Y-Yes!”

Though extremely reluctant, Amber could not defy the man’s command.

“Zigris is temporarily placed under Rhein’s command. There is no time to lose; set out at once. Who knows if that dragon’s attack cycle is as you imagine.”

The man looked at the bright moon slowly rising in the sky.

“The meeting is adjourned. Amber, Rhein, and the Human Kings may leave. The elders will stay.”

The plain words were like chilling nails that pinned the elders to their seats; not one of them dared to rise and leave.

Zigris loaded the last sack of dry rations onto the carriage.

Unlike the undamaged German roads they had traveled before, they now had to trek through a mystical realm that had been completely destroyed and returned to nature.

Motor vehicles were clearly not suitable for this journey.

“Sister!”

Seeing Amber walking toward them after dispatching the personnel, Rhein took the initiative to approach her.

“What! Are you gloating after getting your way?”

Though her words were aggressive, anyone could see that Amber was now just putting up a strong front.

“I’m sorry, sister!”

Rhein took Amber’s hand, which was hanging by her side.

This was the first intimate contact between the sisters in years.

Rhein was surprised to find that Amber’s hand already had fine wrinkles, and the pads of her fingers where they met her palm had developed calluses.

‘All these years, my sister has probably shouldered too much and grown too weary.’

“How hateful, Rhein!”

Amber laughed for the first time in a long while, reaching out to pinch Rhein’s delicate face.

“You took everything I could have had, yet in the end, I still can’t bring myself to hate you.”

“I’m sorry, sister!”

With her face being pinched, Rhein began to cry—tears of emotion.

In truth, she knew better than anyone how good her sister was to her.

Though her sister envied fame and fortune, she had always stood at the forefront of the family, standing in front of her.

She was just bad at expressing her feelings.

“Stop crying! Is this how the Saint of the Nicolae family should look?” Amber said with feigned anger.

“I am entrusting Zigris to you; you and your Human King must bring back victory!”

“I will be waiting in Berlin for your return.”

Amber pulled her hand away from Rhein’s grasp and turned to leave.

Her departing silhouette was so heart-wrenching to Rhein that she wanted to step forward and say a few more words, but she was stopped by Li Ruoyi.

“Rhein, that’s enough. Saying any more would be trampling on Amber’s dignity.”

Li Ruoyi gently took Rhein’s hand and boarded the departing carriage.

In the Throne Room of the Holy City of the Nicolaes, Dracula slowly drew back the heavy curtains, watching the farewell between the Rhein sisters as if pondering something.

“Dracula, what are you thinking?”

“Oh, my dear Camarilla.”

Dracula let the curtain fall.

“Was dinner to your liking?”

The dim room was illuminated by candlelight.

Almost all the elders who had attended the meeting had been killed by the demons before them.

Camarilla licked the blood from his lips, looking perfectly at ease.

“Rhein and those two meddlesome Human Kings are gone; can your plan begin?”

Camarilla smiled and placed his hands on Dracula’s shoulders, looking out at the beautiful scenery of Berlin with an expression of enjoyment.

“Yes.”

Dracula clenched his fist, a faint smile on his face, a pair of horrifying fangs appearing at the corners of his mouth.

“The show is about to begin.”

Accompanied by the melody of a bard, the swordsman lay back in the carriage.

He had long since removed his full armor, making himself as comfortable as possible.

Looking up at the brilliant night sky, Zigris smiled in relief; it had been a long time since he had enjoyed the night sky like this.

The cooing of a pigeon reached his ears.

By the time he came to his senses, the black-haired girl he had seen before was sitting on the carriage railing.

Even all the stars in the sky could not compare to the amethyst-like sparkle in her eyes.

“Zig… ris?” the girl spoke.

“I am here, miss.”

The man smiled, his green eyes reflecting the girl’s image.

“Where are you going?”

“To Nibelungen, to slay a dragon in that ancient mystical realm. Sounds quite romantic, doesn’t it?”

“To kill the dragon species that attacked here the night before last?”

“I think… yes!”

Zigris turned his head away, gazing at the stars in thought.

“You really are a fool!”

A black pigeon appeared beside his hand.

It hopped onto his arm and gently pecked at the back of his hand before transforming into a bottle of purple liquid.

“Even if you are a Human King, if you don’t take care of it, your right hand will be ruined.”

Hearing the girl’s words, Zigris raised his right hand.

The entire palm had turned completely black.

To have been so heavily poisoned and not feel anything for two days!

“You are so careless! Rub this on your hand!” the girl said with a huff, the evening wind from the southeast lifting her long black hair.

“Well, there’s the antidote now, isn’t there?” Zigris laughed brightly.

“It was my fault for touching your hand in the first place; consider this a lesson learned.”

Uncorking the bottle, Zigris let the liquid slowly flow over his hand.

“Aren’t you even suspicious that what I’m giving you might be a new poison?!”

The girl was once again surprised by the man’s actions.

“Forget it! I don’t care about you anymore!”

“Wait! Will I see you again?” Zigris sat up, wanting to stop her from leaving.

“That depends on whether you come back to Berlin alive. If you do, I will be waiting for you.”

The girl leaped and vanished into the night sky.

“Kind person… when the time comes, I will tell you my real name.”